The invention relates to drinking fountains. More particularly, this invention relates to universal access drinking fountains which are designed for comfortable use by the entire public including those with disabilities.
The prior art contains several utility patents which disclose wall-mounted drinking fountains which are intended to provide universal access:
Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,609, filed Nov. 6, 1978 and issued Oct. 20, 1981, is a drinking fountain unit which is mounted on and extends from a wall. The unit is mounted at a height so as to allow clearance for a person in a wheel chair to maneuver the chair into the space beneath the unit and lean into the unit to take a drink. A spring-biased horizontal bar located on the front of the fountain opens a standard valve to control water flow.
Cushman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,960, filed Jan. 13, 1983 and issued Jun. 4, 1985, and its divisional, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,525, filed Mar. 18, 1985 and issued Jul. 1, 1986, also disclose wall-mounted drinking fountains which are mounted to provide clearance for wheel chair access and which use horizontal bars to control water flow.
In addition to the above-mentioned utility patents, the prior art contains several design patents which disclose free standing universal access drinking fountain designs:
Butter et al., U.S. Pat. No. Des. 261,518, filed Apr. 30, 1979 and issued Oct. 27, 1981, shows a free standing fountain which has semicircular underside and round buttons located at either side of the basin which are pushed inward toward the basin to control water flow.
Haws et al., U.S. Pat. No. Des. 252,207, filed Oct. 6, 1976 and issued Jun. 26, 1979, shows a free standing fountain having a cantilevered basin and a side mounted twist handle for controlling water flow.
Haws et al., U.S. Pat. No. Des. 239,284, filed Aug. 5, 1974 and issued Mar. 23, 1976, also shows a free standing fountain having a cantilevered basin and a side mounted twist handle for controlling water flow.
While each of the recited prior art devices provides clearance for wheelchair access, there are other factors in addition to clearance which must be considered in designing drinking fountains for use by persons who are in wheel chairs or who are otherwise disabled.
One factor is the type of control means which is provided to the user to control water flow. Some control means require an awkward motion, such as twisting a small knob or depressing a small button from a height above that of a user sitting in a wheel chair. Some are too small or oddly shaped for some users to successfully operate, and some are hard for some users to locate. Some require the application of a force which may be beyond the capability of a disabled user. Some require the application of a continuous and steady force which some users will be incapable of generating. All assume that the user will be operating the fountain by hand.
A related factor is the location of the control means in relation to the rest of the drinking fountain. Some prior art control means are recessed so as to be nearly flush with the body of the fountain. These may be hard for a disabled user to discern or operate.
Another factor affecting use by the disabled is the location of the control means in relation to the natural position of the user. Often the location of the control means prevents comfortable use of the fountain from the posture to which the disabled user is restricted. For example, to drink from some prior art wall-mounted fountains, a user in a wheel chair must lean in toward the basin yet keep one arm arched back to operate the control means. In these cases such a user may be forced to resort to approaching the drinking fountain from the side, thereby placing his face directly in the path of an oncoming water stream. In others control means project from the fountain in a direction which is adapted for use from a standing position.
Another factor is the shape of water stream outlet. Outlets in prior art drinking fountains are small and angular, and may project several inches outward from the body of the fountain. These pose a risk of injury to an unsteady user.